Modi'in Miracle
Encyclopedia
The Modi'in Miracle is an Israel
i baseball
team from Modi'in in the Israel Baseball League
.
The Miracle finished the inaugrual 2007 season 22-19 (.537) in third place, and after upsetting the # 2 Tel Aviv Lightning
in the semi-finals, lost to Ron Blomberg
's Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
3-0 in the championship game.
Miracle catcher, and former Boston Red Sox
minor league
r, Eladio Rodriguez was the league batting champion (.461). and had 16 home runs in 102 at bats. He was co-winner of The Hank Greenberg Award for Most Valuable Player.
6' 6" Maximo Nelson from San Pedro de Macoris
, in the Dominican Republic
, led the league with 85 strikeouts; he pitched for the Gulf Coast Yankees
in 2004 (posting a 6-5 record, with a 2.63 ERA).
The name for the Miracle is a reference to the miracle of the Maccabean revolt
(which started in the area presently known as Maccabim, just outside Modi'in) and victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanes
in 167 BCE. Thus the use of a hanukiah
in the team's logo, an object commonly associated with the miracle victory of the Maccabees
over the Greek
s.
On February 26, 2007, it was announced that Major League Baseball
player Art Shamsky
of the "Miracle Mets" would be the manager of the Miracle. Team colors also reflect Shamsky's stint with the New York Mets
, and hopes that IBL officials had of creating a rivalry between the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox (similar colors to the New York Yankees
) and the Miracle.
In the inaugural draft in 2007, the Modi'in Miracle selected with the first pick Aaron Levin, an infielder from Cuesta College
.
41 years after he retired from baseball, Hall of Fame
pitcher Sandy Koufax
was the last player chosen in the draft. Koufax, 71, was picked by the Miracle. "His selection is a tribute to the esteem with which he is held by everyone associated with this league," said Art Shamsky, who manages the Miracle. "It's been 41 years between starts for him. If he's rested and ready to take the mound again, we want him on our team." (It was pointed out that he'd be working on 14,875 days rest.) http://humbug.baseballtoaster.com/archives/642563.html Koufax declined the offer to join the team.
Gezer, Gezer Field
is home to the Miracle as well as the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team from Modi'in in the Israel Baseball League
Israel baseball league
The Israel Baseball League was a six-team professional baseball league in Israel. The first game was played on June 24, 2007...
.
The Miracle finished the inaugrual 2007 season 22-19 (.537) in third place, and after upsetting the # 2 Tel Aviv Lightning
Tel Aviv Lightning
The Tel Aviv Lightning is an Israeli baseball team from Tel Aviv in the Israel Baseball League.The Lightning finished the inaugrual 2007 season in second place with a 26-14 record, and lost to the Modi'in Miracle in the semifinals of the 2007 IBL championship.6' 5" lefthander Aaron Pribble was...
in the semi-finals, lost to Ron Blomberg
Ron Blomberg
Ronald Mark Blomberg , nicknamed Boomer, is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder...
's Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
The Beit Shemesh Blue Sox are an Israeli baseball team from Bet Shemesh.It is one of the inaugural teams in the Israel Baseball League. They had the best regular season record , and won the inaugural championship August 19, 2007, in Petach Tikva, shutting out Art Shamsky’s Modi’in Miracle 3-0 in...
3-0 in the championship game.
Miracle catcher, and former Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
r, Eladio Rodriguez was the league batting champion (.461). and had 16 home runs in 102 at bats. He was co-winner of The Hank Greenberg Award for Most Valuable Player.
6' 6" Maximo Nelson from San Pedro de Macoris
San Pedro de Macorís
San Pedro de Macorís is a municipality and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the Dominican Republic.-Demographics:...
, in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, led the league with 85 strikeouts; he pitched for the Gulf Coast Yankees
Gulf Coast Yankees
The Gulf Coast League Yankees are the Rookie League affiliate of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. The GCL Yankees play in Tampa, Florida at the Yankee Complex...
in 2004 (posting a 6-5 record, with a 2.63 ERA).
History
Maccabees
The Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea, which had been a client state of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of the Land of Israel and reducing the influence...
(which started in the area presently known as Maccabim, just outside Modi'in) and victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great. His original name was Mithridates; he assumed the name Antiochus after he ascended the throne....
in 167 BCE. Thus the use of a hanukiah
Chanukkiyah
The Hanukkah menorah is, strictly speaking, a nine-branched candelabrum lit during the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah, as opposed to the seven-branched menorah used in the ancient...
in the team's logo, an object commonly associated with the miracle victory of the Maccabees
Maccabees
The Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea, which had been a client state of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of the Land of Israel and reducing the influence...
over the Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
s.
On February 26, 2007, it was announced that Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player Art Shamsky
Art Shamsky
Arthur Louis Shamsky is a former Major League Baseball player. He played right field, left field, and first base from to for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland Athletics. In he was the manager of the Modi'in Miracle of the Israel Baseball League.-Early life:Shamsky...
of the "Miracle Mets" would be the manager of the Miracle. Team colors also reflect Shamsky's stint with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, and hopes that IBL officials had of creating a rivalry between the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox (similar colors to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
) and the Miracle.
In the inaugural draft in 2007, the Modi'in Miracle selected with the first pick Aaron Levin, an infielder from Cuesta College
Cuesta College
Cuesta College is a public community college located in San Luis Obispo County near the Central Coast of California. It currently offers 76 Associate's degree programs and 96 certificate programs...
.
41 years after he retired from baseball, Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
pitcher Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
was the last player chosen in the draft. Koufax, 71, was picked by the Miracle. "His selection is a tribute to the esteem with which he is held by everyone associated with this league," said Art Shamsky, who manages the Miracle. "It's been 41 years between starts for him. If he's rested and ready to take the mound again, we want him on our team." (It was pointed out that he'd be working on 14,875 days rest.) http://humbug.baseballtoaster.com/archives/642563.html Koufax declined the offer to join the team.
Stadium
Located in KibbutzKibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Gezer, Gezer Field
Kibbutz Gezer Field
Kibbutz Gezer Field is the home ground for Israeli baseball teams Modi'in Miracle and Bet Shemesh Blue Sox in the Israel Baseball League. It is located in Kibbutz Gezer.-References:...
is home to the Miracle as well as the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
The Beit Shemesh Blue Sox are an Israeli baseball team from Bet Shemesh.It is one of the inaugural teams in the Israel Baseball League. They had the best regular season record , and won the inaugural championship August 19, 2007, in Petach Tikva, shutting out Art Shamsky’s Modi’in Miracle 3-0 in...
.